Research and teaching cooperation for UNU-FLORES explored

On 15 March 2011, the United Nations University and the Dresden University of Technology (TUD) held a meeting to explore ways of cooperation in research and teaching for the soon-to-be-established UNU Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES). This meeting, a follow up to the first UNU-FLORES scoping workshop held in November 2010, sought to:

elaborate the research topics listed during the first scoping workshop,

develop proposals for joint study programmes to be offered by TUD and UNU-FLORES, and

clarify legal and administrative issues.

The research topics listed during the scoping workshop were found to be in line with the proposed structure of the Institute, which will consist of five departments: Systems and Flux Analysis, Global Change, Water Management, Soil and Land-Use Management, and Waste Management and Contaminated Sites.

Responsibilites of research departments for overarching topics and the research topics to be covered by the UNU-FLORES Twin Institute component in Mozambique will be further discussed at a third scoping workshop to take place in Maputo, Mozambique, later this year.

Workshop participants reached a common understanding that all proposed UNU-FLORES research departments should focus jointly on research and teaching in accordance with Humboldt’s Principle (of research-based education).

The M.Sc. course at TUD on “Hydro Science and Engineering” was identified as a possible starting point for a joint degree programme, with about 70 per cent of the offered modules being suitable for a joint Masters programme with UNU-FLORES. Additionally, the UNU Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) were identified as potential cooperation partners. Beyond the joint Masters programme, a joint Ph.D. programme eventually will be developed between UNU-FLORES and TUD.

Since the first scoping workshop, significant progress has been achieved. The most important milestones are:

creation of a working group responsible for the establishment of UNU-FLORES;

signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between UNU, TUD, the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), and the Saxon State Ministry for Science and the Fine Arts (SMWK) in November 2010;

finalization of the funding agreement between UNU, BMBF and SMWK;

adoption of the Statute of UNU-FLORES at the 57th session of the UNU Council in December 2010; and

a kick-off search for premises for UNU-FLORES in the historic City of Dresden, to be provided by the government of Saxonia.

For more information about UNU-FLORES, see the following pages on the UNU Vice-Rectorate in Europe website: